Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1980.

The purpose of study is to investigate why state certified nurses on a conversion programme to become registered general nurses score higher marks on medical - related than on nursing assessments during their fourth practical assessments. The universal sample is made up of state certified nurses on a one year conversion programme. A purposive sample consisting of 20 student nurses, 10 nurse- assessors and 5 doctor­ assessors was recruited into the exploratory quantitative study which was done at Kwekwe Hospital. A questionnaire for each of the three sample groups was used to collect data to meet the study's objectives. Data analysis yielded the main finding that students scored higher marks on nursing - related areas than on medical- related practical assessments contrary to the study's assumption. The implication is that the student nurses were able to acquire nursing care focused skills and knowledge in spite of their former medical care biased training and nursing experience. / Health Studies / M.A. (Nursing Science)

The problem with which this study is concerned is the attrition of freshman and sophomore students who enroll in a baccalaureate nursing program. The purpose of this study is to identify and describe factors that may contribute to the nursing student attrition problem at a state-supported university.

The problem in this investigation is retention of nursing students. The purpose is to identify, describe, and analyze existing relationships between satisfaction with college, academic achievement, and goal commitment for nursing majors in a baccalaureate nursing program that has high retention. Data were collected using two survey instruments and student grade-point averages.

M.Cur. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.Cur. (Psychiatric Nursing) / Caring for intellectually disabled people can be demanding for student nurses who are still novices in the profession. To ensure optimal nursing care is received, student nurses must have both an understanding of and a positive attitude towards intellectually disabled people. Nursing intellectually disabled people is a challenge that can have an impact on a person‟s body, mind and spirit therefore, student nurses need to have the ability to deal with stressful situations and environments. Student nurses need to be prepared to care for patients with long-term challenges, such as intellectual disabilities. These patients require a caring relationship that facilitates an enhanced awareness of life and health experiences. The caring relationship also facilitates health and healing processes as it involves the authentic and genuine needs of patients. This research aimed to explore and describe lived experiences of student nurses caring for intellectually disabled people in a public psychiatric institution, and to formulate guidelines for the facilitation of mental health of these student nurses. A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual design was used. Data were collected through individual in-depth interviews, focusing on the question “How was it for you to be working at this institution?” Thematic analysis was used to analyse the collected data and a consensus discussion was held with the independent coder. Ten participants were interviewed and five, who were not comfortable with interviews, wrote naïve sketches. Trustworthiness was assured by adhering to Lincoln and Guba‟s principles, that is, credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability. Four ethical principles were demonstrated throughout the research namely, principles of respect for autonomy, non-maleficence, beneficence, and justice. Three themes emerged from the data. Firstly, student nurses experience a profound unsettling impact on their wholistic being when caring for intellectually disabled people. iv Secondly, they develop a sense of compassion and a new way of looking at life, and lastly they require certain educational, emotional and spiritual needs to be met. Guidelines were formulated to facilitate the mental health of student nurses caring for intellectually disabled people in a public psychiatric institution.

Magister Curationis / Background: Globally, nurses and midwives are the most important healthcare providers. In most countries, nurses and midwives are often the first point of contact to healthcare, and in many rural areas, they are the only point of contact for patients. Skilled midwives are essential for the care of pregnant women and the safe delivery of their infants. Midwives play an important role in promoting the health and wellbeing of women, newborns and their families. In South Africa, slow progress in reducing maternal mortality can be partially attributed to a lack of appropriately trained health professionals to render some basic maternal care services. Aim & objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the self-perception of preparedness for midwifery practice of final-year nursing students at a university in the Western Cape, South Africa. The objectives of the study were to: identify midwifery skills final-year nursing students found challenging to perform independently, determine the level of confidence of final-year nursing students for managing patients in the maternity unit, determine the level of comfort/confidence of final-year nursing students in key practice skills performance, and collect baseline evidence of nursing students’ perceptions of self-preparedness to inform the higher education institution of gaps and needs identified by nursing students. Methodology: A quantitative research approach using a descriptive survey design was implemented to gather information. A self-administered questionnaire using the Casey-Fink Readiness for Practice Survey was used. Due to the limited size of the population, an all-inclusive sampling strategy was utilised, with a sample size of N=217. At the time of the survey, only 164 nursing students attended class. Only 112 questionnaires were returned, yielding a response rate of 70.88%. All returned questionnaires had no missing data. SPSS Statistics version 25 was utilised for data analysis. Descriptive statistics, frequencies and tests for association were utilised.

Academic integrity, while important for all students, is especially so for those enrolled in nursing programs. Nurses are entrusted by the public to care for those in need from birth through death. A nursing student who graduates through dishonest means jeopardizes the safety of patients in their care. Nursing faculty need to understand the scope of academic integrity violations and develop meaningful, targeted interventions to show students the harm their actions could cause. The purpose of this dissertation is to explore undergraduate nursing students’ knowledge and perceptions of academic integrity and to specifically look at their willingness to report peer violations. This dissertation study was a collaborative effort among three doctoral students. Using a research team-modified version of McCabe’s Academic Integrity Survey as well as a research team-created Knowledge Assessment, 442 nursing students were surveyed. Results confirm a hesitation to report peers for violations of academic integrity. Students’ ability to neutralize their behaviors as harmless, their desire to remain loyal to their peers, and age act as positive predictive variables for willingness to report peer violations. Additionally, participants’ perceptions of the severity of various offenses and their perceptions of their faculty’s support for academic integrity policies are positively correlated with willingness to report peer violations. Program improvement strategies, such as implementing an honor code, were supported by participants and may help foster a culture of academic integrity that promotes peer reporting. Lastly, a targeted intervention designed for nursing students to promote academic integrity and peer reporting is explored.

The use of simulation as a clinical learning activity is growing in nursing programs across the country. Using simulation, educators can provide students with a realistic patient situation using mannequins or actors as patients in a simulated environment. Students can practice multiple aspects of patient care without the risk of making mistakes with real patients, and faculty can reinforce course objectives and evaluate student learning. Because of the technology, the environment, and the methods by which simulation is implemented, it may cause anxiety in learners, which may interfere with the learning process. Anxious students may miss an opportunity for learning valuable aspects of nursing care that are reinforced in simulation. This paper will describe a study of the student perspective on simulation, particularly related to the anxiety experienced by many learners. Nursing students in a baccalaureate program who participate in simulation in their clinical courses were recruited for the study, which consisted of a survey and a focus group. Participants were asked to rate nineteen aspects of simulation in regards to the feelings they elicit, from confidence to anxiety. The survey, completed by 73 of the 178 eligible participants, also included open-ended questions in which students could elaborate on their responses. A focus group was held after the survey, during which nine volunteer participants were asked further questions about their feelings and reactions in simulation, specifically as related to their effect on learning. During a facilitated discussion, they also offered suggestions for interventions that they believed would decrease their anxiety and improve the learning environment in simulation. After an analysis of the data, a "comfort-stretch-panic" model (Palethorpe & Wilson, 2011) emerged as a useful framework for understanding the student perspective. Students in the "stretch" zone, in which they perceived a manageable amount of stress, were motivated to perform and experienced optimal learning from the simulation session. The student suggestions for interventions which would aid their learning may be useful for transitioning them into the "stretch" zone, and should be considered as potential tools in simulation practice.